PRESERVATION OF THE ROSENFELD COLLECTION

CONSERVING

THE ROSENFELD COLLECTION

By Emily Mayotte, Rosenfeld Collection Conservator and Cataloger

The Rosenfeld Collection, built from the work of Morris Rosenfeld and sons, was acquired in 1984 by Mystic Seaport Museum and is one of the largest archives of maritime photographs in the United States. This Collection contains nearly one million pieces dating from 1881 to 1992, featuring photos from the America’s Cup and Bermuda Race, as well as images of countless vessels, engines, trophies, and much more throughout the 20th century. Images are captured in a variety of formats, from glass plate negatives to color transparencies, and from glossy prints to photographic murals, with an estimated 150,000 negatives on what is known as safety film. Safety film negatives are at risk of deterioration over time. Their base layer shrinks and warps due to an autocatalytic reaction causing them to become brittle and break—potentially losing decades of maritime history in the process. It is thought that approximately 50,000 pieces of the Collection are already degrading, with the negatives from the 1930s in the worst condition. The Museum was awarded a National Park Service Save America’s Treasures grant, administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, to begin mitigation of this deterioration, starting with the 1930s negatives. This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services ST-03-17-0003-17. A cataloger researches each negative, recording all information related to that image—date taken, brand of film, associated people, places, events, vessels, and publications in which the image appears—and each negative is given a title and description. Using a number of selection criteria, including physical appearance, negatives are marked for recovery with priority given to negatives considered “significant.” In a standard work week, a conservator processes three batches; a single batch comprised of 16-20 negatives enters the process each day Monday through Wednesday. Over the course of three days, a series of chemical baths are used to separate the deteriorating layers from the stable emulsion—the layer containing the image. The emulsion is then flattened onto glass, cover-slipped, and scanned for digital preservation. Emulsions that have damage will often take a great deal of manipulation, such as pushing rips back together, in order for the image to be presentable. The emulsions, now referred to as pellicles, are re-housed and returned to the vault for safekeeping. To date, 5011 emulsions have been recovered.

As we approach the 40th Anniversary of the acquisition of the

Rosenfeld Collection by the Museum, we recognize the important role that philanthropic support plays in our continued stewardship of this collection. The negative mitigation project alone requires nearly $1,000 a month. In recognition of this important ongoing work, we are pleased to announce that Richard Rosenfeld and Margaret Andersen have established a permanent Rosenfeld Collection Endowment to sustain our work and conserve the collection. This fund remains open for new contributions and we welcome your generous support and participation.

As we were going to press we received notification of a new $236,788 Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to support the ongoing conservation of the Rosenfeld Collection.